Understanding Amazon Machine Images

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You can select an Amazon machine image from a list of available images when creating Amazon machine blueprints.

An Amazon machine image is a template that contains a software configuration, including an operating system. They are managed by Amazon Web Services accounts. vRealize Automation manages the instance types that are available for provisioning.

The Amazon machine image and instance type must be available in an Amazon region. Not all instance types are available in all regions.

You can select an Amazon machine image provided by Amazon Web Services, a user community, or the AWS Marketplace site. You can also create and optionally share your own Amazon machine images. A single Amazon machine image can be used to launch one or many instances.

The following considerations apply to Amazon machine images in the Amazon Web Services accounts from which you provision cloud machines:

Each blueprint must specify an Amazon machine image.

A private Amazon machine image is available to a specific account and all its regions. A public Amazon machine image is available to all accounts, but only to a specific region in each account.

When the blueprint is created, the specified Amazon machine image is selected from regions that have been data-collected. If multiple Amazon Web Services accounts are available, the business group manager must have rights to any private Amazon machine images. The Amazon machine image region and the specified user location restrict provisioning request to reservations that match the corresponding region and location.

Use reservations and policies to distribute Amazon machine images in your Amazon Web Services accounts. Use policies to restrict provisioning from a blueprint to a particular set of reservations.

vRealize Automation cannot create user accounts on a cloud machine. The first time a machine owner connects to a cloud machine, she must log in as an administrator and add her vRealize Automation user credentials or an administrator must do that for her. She can then log in using her vRealize Automation user credentials.

If the Amazon machine image generates the administrator password on every boot, the Edit Machine Record page displays the password. If it does not, you can find the password in the Amazon Web Services account. You can configure all Amazon machine images to generate the administrator password on every boot. You can also provide administrator password information to support users who provision machines for other users.